Tesla, Ford were among 2012's best in autos

The Tesla Model S was the breakout car of 2013. Photo Credit: Tesla

Automobiles occupy an outsized chunk of my time. When you drive as many as three new cars a week, every week, slamming doors, pinching leather, evaluating gas mileage and figuring out how the radio works, the small stuff matters. I love the smart, outrageous and practical; and am exasperated by the wrongheaded, timid and abstruse.

Looking back on the past year, I rarely remember what happened in any given month. Instead I recall the first time I stepped inside the Tesla Model S (good) or tried to use Cadillac’s Cue infotainment system (not so good). Here are a few of the cars and features that I liked, and some I didn’t.

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Breakout of the Year: The Tesla Model S.

An all-electric sedan with good range, it’s fast and handles well, even on a racetrack. It seats five adults comfortably and has a gorgeous cabin.

The well-optioned model I tested came to $102,000, about the same as a decently-optioned Porsche Panamera. For that you get a suite of gee-whiz electronics, including the most advanced touch-screen system I’ve ever experienced.

You can faultlessly operate the screen even while driving, proving that Silicon Valley does have something to teach Detroit.

The Model S easily could have qualified as my green pick of the year, or executive sedan, or perhaps even my favorite sports car. Instead, I’ll simply say it rates high in all of those categories.

This is the first Bimmer four-banger available in the U.S. in more than a decade, optional on both the 3 and 5 series and standard on the Z4 Roadster. It’s fun, fast and efficient and I prefer it over the 300-hp six-cylinder. The little engine that could.

There’s something special about a light, small and relatively inexpensive sports car. The ST version of Ford’s chic hatchback has 252 horsepower and makes easy, controlled drifts, so you can feel like a race-track hero. And it starts at $23,700.

Niftiest Amenity: Kick-activated Tailgate.

Approach the rear of a Ford Escape with an armful of groceries and you won’t have juggle to open the tailgate. Simply kick the underside of the bumper and it’ll pop open (provided the key fob is in your pocket).

Chrysler may have renamed the Sebring, but the 200 sedan is still a really lousy car. Avoid it at the rental lot.

Cadillac released a fantastic car this year, the ATS compact sports sedan. And it also released the XTS, a full-size sedan which plows down the road like a tractor. The company seems to be biding its time until it makes a really worthy full- size car. It the meantime, we deserve better.

The Fisker Karma, a brand-new electric hybrid I really wanted to like. But the meshing of electric motors and gas engine is loud, uncomfortable, and the car isn’t particularly fast or powerful. The interior is cramped. It just doesn’t do any one thing particular well.

Jason H. Harper writes about autos for Muse, the arts and leisure section of Bloomberg News. The opinions expressed are his own.